Flight Engineers
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: South Coast, UK
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Flight Engineers
(Reposted here because no-one answered in "Questions"
Out of curiosity, do flight engineers still exist on commercial jets (except Concorde)?
Are they pilots with specialized training, or a different career path? Do they do things that a pilot couldn't, or they just concentrate on the mechanical side of things?
I was wondering because in this post , one reply said that in the Belfast, the pilot would call torque and the engineer would set it.
Thanks
Out of curiosity, do flight engineers still exist on commercial jets (except Concorde)?
Are they pilots with specialized training, or a different career path? Do they do things that a pilot couldn't, or they just concentrate on the mechanical side of things?
I was wondering because in this post , one reply said that in the Belfast, the pilot would call torque and the engineer would set it.
Thanks
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: New York
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In the US, even though you are a pilot, you took a Flight Engineer test for those airlines who had aircraft with F/E panels. When you upgraded you took the right seat in the Flight Deck. Now most airlines don't have planes with F/E panels. I know in Olympic Airways, when the 747-200 was retired because of the Airbus 340-313X the Flight Engineers retired ;-)
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Seattle
Posts: 3,196
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Flight Engineers are still required on 727s, 747 Classics (all except the -400), and DC-8s. In the US, most of these (except some 747s) are in cargo service.
Most US passenger airlines hire pilots as "Second Officers" to fly the FE seat. Some cargo carriers still hire Professional Flight Engineers; many of them come from the military.
Most US passenger airlines hire pilots as "Second Officers" to fly the FE seat. Some cargo carriers still hire Professional Flight Engineers; many of them come from the military.
Death Cruiser Flight Crew
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Vaucluse, France.
Posts: 613
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In the UK, this rapidly diminishing band of gentlemen soldier on aboard the few remaining 727s and on the DC10s at MyTravel. All the flight engineers I ever flew with had a ground engineering background.
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What about when Ansett promised their flight engineers jobs for life no matter what technological advancements were made in aviation. This meant they had F/E's on 767's getting $100K a year to sit on the flight deck and go along for the ride! 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
With the end of Concorde in October it will mark the end of Flight Engineers within BOAC/BA after approximately 55years. Every long haul aircraft during that time with the exception of the Argonaut used a Flight Engineer, and their back ground was as a ground engineer rather than a pilot. This was the case in the USA until the introduction of Jets airliners in the late 50's , when the american pilots union persuaded the authorities there, that it would be safer if a pilot sat in the seat incase of food posioning [must have had some rough catering in those days
Now what did he do, well during flight he operated all the sysyems and normally the engines, aswell as being [ hopefully] the technical advisor to the Captain. With the advent of the jets within BOAC the F/E took on the role of monitoring the the navigation and operation of the aircraft aswell as reading all the checklists both normal and emergency. On the Bristol Britannia aircraft the F/E operated the throttles at all times even down to selecting reversre power and it was similar on the VC-10, where the F/E even had his set of throttles.
When the aircraft was on the ground the F/e used to do all the exterior checks and refuelling, aswell as liasioning with the ground engineers on technical matters. If the aircraft was at a abnormal airfield with no BOAC staff, he did it all on his own.
One little story about the VC-10 was on long trips when youngsters came to visit the flight deck the Captain would demonstrate how his voice could control the throttle movement, and after a while the younster would start talking to the throttle too. After a while they would leave suitably impressed as to what an advance aircraft the VC-10 was, but of coarse nobody took any notice of the F/E sitting in his corner moving his set of throttles which were linked to the pilots set .
Ah well those were the days
Now what did he do, well during flight he operated all the sysyems and normally the engines, aswell as being [ hopefully] the technical advisor to the Captain. With the advent of the jets within BOAC the F/E took on the role of monitoring the the navigation and operation of the aircraft aswell as reading all the checklists both normal and emergency. On the Bristol Britannia aircraft the F/E operated the throttles at all times even down to selecting reversre power and it was similar on the VC-10, where the F/E even had his set of throttles.
When the aircraft was on the ground the F/e used to do all the exterior checks and refuelling, aswell as liasioning with the ground engineers on technical matters. If the aircraft was at a abnormal airfield with no BOAC staff, he did it all on his own.
One little story about the VC-10 was on long trips when youngsters came to visit the flight deck the Captain would demonstrate how his voice could control the throttle movement, and after a while the younster would start talking to the throttle too. After a while they would leave suitably impressed as to what an advance aircraft the VC-10 was, but of coarse nobody took any notice of the F/E sitting in his corner moving his set of throttles which were linked to the pilots set .
Ah well those were the days
Some companies in the US with Professional Flight Engineers (PFEs) have been Amercan Trans Air (1011 and 727), Airborne Express (DC-8), Atlas (747), the former Zantop (Electra and DC-8), and maybe one or two others, probably the cargo 'shellgame' under the Connie Kallitta umbrella. Many or most of the PFEs seem to come from the US military squadrons such as the P-3, (K)C-130, E-6, KC-10, C-141/C-5 and various 'Air Force One' Boeing fleets at Andrews AFB.
